Bluffton hearts & darts

Hearts ... to the leaders of the University of South Carolina Beaufort for taking the next steps to add a full-time athletic director to the payroll.

Nothing against Ty Rietkovich, who for two years did that job as well as the softball coach position, but with one person handling the AD duties and Ty able to spend time recruiting and continuing to build a first-class program, nothing but good will come of the decision by chancellor Jane Upshaw.

USCB athletics have quickly and quietly become a force to be reckoned with. The baseball team played in the NAIA World Series and the softball team just completed its inaugural season.

“With the success we have had in athletics and the vision to take USCB to an even higher level, it is time to return to the model of a full-time, dedicated athletics director,” Upshaw said.

We could not agree more.

And with the story in today’s paper on our front page, sports writer Lawrence Conneff goes more in depth on Upshaw’s approach.

Okatie zipline project up in the air

Darts ... to the apparent impasse between the Beaufort County Council and developer of a proposed zipline for the Okatie Regional Park.

Contract negotiations with Direct Instruction Support Systems, Inc., of Ohio and the county hit a roadblock about the length of the contract for the massive park project.

The 119-acre park is near the intersection of U.S. 278 on S.C. 170 and the project last appeared before County Council on a finance committee agenda in mid-April where it was tabled for lack of movement.

The county was working to find ways to make use of more than 17,000 acres it owns under the rural land preservation program.

A public/private contract proposed construction of a zipline in the park that would offer more than two hours of tree-top touring in the preservation area.

We hope the wrinkles can be ironed out and negotiations might restart.

Teenagers make music and not trouble

Hearts ... to the Bluffton area teenagers involved with Broccoli Island, a group working on hip hop music videos.

Former Bluffton High Bobcat CJ Johnson is one of the guys involved.

It’s always nice to see good things out of teenagers after high school.

The four guys share a love for music and released a music video recently. They spent a year working on it and one thing is for sure: They all share a passion for music and for realizing life is not always what you expect it to be.

The group’s mission is an attainable one: “We want to set a trend — at least in the Bluffton/Hilton Head area,” said Johnson. “We are all people with different backgrounds, but we came with a common purpose. You can make music without cursing and without derogatory words toward women. We want to make music; we don’t want to make rap over a beat.”

We like the message and what this group is all about.

It’s hot, hot and more hot

Darts ... to the people who don’t realize it’s summer in the Lowcountry and it’s too darn hot to leave a dog in the car — even for a few minutes.

We wonder how many times people have to be reminded of this.

Just imagine how hot you would be sitting out in a car with no wind or air-conditioning and multiply that by about 100 and you get our point.

Pets should also not be left outside in the hot sun with no shelter and no water.

Common sense and good pet owner skills are required. Those who do not have them, please do not get a pet. Or at least commit to taking care of your dog.

Summer is officially here

Hearts ... to summer. Summer officially started last week and with it come plenty of activities and excitement.

The Fourth of July is on a Wednesday this year and there are a bevy of things to do.

The beach is always an option. Sometimes living so close to the beach means we take it for granted.

Gasoline prices have dropped and so it might just be a good summer to load up the family and go see some sights along the coast or even up the road a piece.

It’s hot, but that doesn’t mean we should not enjoy the season and the beach, fireworks and all that there is to see and do in the Lowcountry.

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